(Original post by mavoury)
GOD i'm really not doing too good on the English-at-Cambridge etiquette, am I? I need a rule book...
But my French teacher did say the same thing when we were reading the play...

*grins* Don't worry, we've (probably) all done it at some stage! Just don't make it a habit! Wikipedia and the like are great shortcuts when you want to find out about something superficially, but things like that can be a bit dodgy! Particularly with Englishy things, Sparknotes etc. is a no-no, 'cause hte important thing is reading the books yourself! Also, Lidka and I are possibly more bothered about this kind of thing than lots of people...

Why is open plan bad?

'Cause I like privacy and stillness when I work (typically). As Lidka says, there are lots of class windows, which means lots of looking out of said glass windows (distracting), and lots of people looking in (plain weird)! Many people love working in there. I'd rather work in a cupboard. Or, you know, my room.

so here's the thought process of me : Im off to teach in Africa in two weeks time, and i can't find recommended reading list for first-term freshers anywhere online. Does such a thing exist????? Because if so, I'd love to be diredcted towards it, and slam selected works from it onto my i-pod in MP3 form, to take with me.

Don't get me wrong, there's stacks and stacks of things that I know I should have read and haven't, but if such an official list were to exist, and turn up on my doorstep in a months time, it'll only be of limited use to me, as I will only get back around a month before the ludicrously named "Michelmas term" (COUGH!! PRETENTION ALERT !! COUGH) begins.

Okay, the reason there's no reading list for 1st term freshers (or anyone, really) is because everyone does different papers to start -- this depends on your college & DoS. Furthermore, which individual supervisors you have will determine your reading, to some extent.

What I suggest you do, because it is a perfectly reasonable (and admirable! *cough*) request, is email your admissions office and tell them exactly that -- that you're going away to Africa now and won't be back long before the beginning of Michaelmas (perhaps leave out the accusations of pretention), and would it be possible to get hold of some kind of a reading list. You know it's early, etc. etc., but you will be away when/if one arrives in the summer. So.
Also, do it quickly -- 2 weeks isn't long (obviously!), and the DoS might have to quickly compile one for you.

I'll tell you what epitome, this morning has taught me two useful things:

1) You give excellent advice.

2) Homerton college is unbelievably fast and attentive with their replies. There was a wait of literally about an hour before I heard from my (possible) DOS, with the 8 books im going to focus on in term 1, and some suggested secondary reading. I know its not term-time, but even so, thats really impressive (also a good side to Homerton perhaps????????)

Plus, Im looking at this list, and its EXCITING. Can't wait to get stuck into it.

(Original post by epitome)
It tends to be in Part II (3rd yr) that papers are more freely borrowed. Though quite how much freedom is aruable and contentious. Theoretically, however, it's possible to do Old Norse and Renaissance Latin (is that the same as Insular Latin, Lidia?) -- I know people doing these options at the moment. There used to be quite a long list of papers we could borrow, including from the History, MML (about which you could ask Da Bachtopus, who borrowed a French paper at Part II and is now studying in France), Linguistics and ASNaC Triposes, but I don't know to what extent these are now available. The difficulty with borrowing seems to be because the disciplines require different skills, and the Faculties have to feel sure that the person borrowing the paper will not drag either faculty's marks down. Think of that what you will.

You can definitely still borrow from Linguistics, as I am this year, but as I remember only one linguistics paper was available. I remember a few French and Italian papers on the list as well.

Now stop stalking Lidka & I and get back to your little mathematical cell.

(Original post by mavoury)
GO AWAY, YOU MATHEMATICIAN YOU! GO BACK TO YOUR COLD, HARD, UNEMOTIONAL NUMBERS, WHILE WE BASK IN THE SWEET AROMA OF MUSTY BOOKS...

and by the way essays rule!

Epitome, Lidka, help me out here?

What a spirited defence. I feel like you are here already. Excellent. (Though you could also have effectively and probably permanently repelled him with some of your abysmal poetry!

Essays rule, though? Yes, if you have just a few. Not so much if you manage to get somewhere near 20 (of varying lengths) in a term. But you have that to look forward to!
Actually, back to the English + essays thing for a wee moment: There are few feeling better, nor more frustrating, than that I (and hopefully others?!) get about 2/3 of the way through an essay. That's the point, with me, where it stops being waffle and 'just getting it done' and starts being ideas and sense. Not that this necessarily comes through in the writing...But it's infuriating because, crap time-management as ever, 2/3 of the way through is generally about an hour before the deadline. Which is Not Cool.

So there we go -- a totally uncalled for, entirely gratuitous and not at all usefully informative insight into my essay writing. And the fact that I *do* love them, for a short and intense period of time, inconveniently close to the deadline.